Wheeled compactors may be used in harsh applications, such as garbage compaction, Garbage compaction and handling can be a particularly harsh environment because wire, carpet, magnetic tape, rebar and the like, generally referred to herein as “wire,” may be distributed throughout a waste processing site or landfill and can become wrapped around the axles of the wheeled compactor causing the machine to stall or become disabled. To prevent this, wire guard systems, also known as axle guard systems, have been developed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,507 describes an axle guard that includes at least one circumferential barrier extending above the rim and adjacent the inner circumferential edge of the rim. Similarly, Hanomag has sold a wire guard system that includes a plurality of tips attached around a wheel with metal plates disposed between the tips to form an annular barrier, However, it has been discovered by the Applicant that a gap between components of a wire guard system can engage and may encourage wire to wrap up around the wire guard system and the axle.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.